[DRB]

Flat flat flat today. Plus its relatively short as well. The big boys will be looking for a rest today.

Medical update: Manuel Beltran had to stay in the hospital for a 24 hour observation for a concussion but will then return home. He's fine, but after crashing and wrecking his helmet he still wanted to continue racing, but had no memory whatsoever of going down after touching wheels with another rider. He didn't remember why is head hurt or where he got the scratches on him 6 miles later. That's when the pulled him.

Also White jersey wearer Alejandro Valverde's will start today's 13th stage of the Tour, but may withdraw from the race if his knee problems persist. The Illes Balears rider won the tenth stage to Courchevel, moving to fifth place overall, but began to experience knee pain on the same day of the race. The condition has persisted since then.

125km
Thomas Voeckler (Bouygues), Chris Horner (Saunier Duval), Juan Antonio Flecha (Fassa Bortolo), Carlos Da Cruz (Francaise des Jeux), Ludovic Turpin (Ag2r)
Peloton at 8'07

Discovery picks the pace up a bit to bring Horner back as he is only 15' behind.

 

[Westy]

Medical update: Manuel Beltran had to stay in the hospital for a 24 hour observation for a concussion but will then return home. He's fine, but after crashing and wrecking his helmet he still wanted to continue racing, but had no memory whatsoever of going down after touching wheels with another rider. He didn't remember why is head hurt or where he got the scratches on him 6 miles later. That's when the pulled him.

I did a 6 hour race last year and had a splitting headache for a week after, thought I had a brain tumor. Then a friend reminded me of a big crash I had on the first lap that I did not really remember. I remembered falling off the bike but thought it was no big deal, but it seems I ploughed into the ground headfirst. Concussions suck.

 

[The Toninator]

I had a lot to drink once and forgot what it did that night :

 

[Westy]

I had a lot to drink once and forgot what it did that night :

There is a two week period in 1995 that I don't remember anything that happened after the sun went down. The best was the morning I woke up fully clothed with two Reuben sandwiches in my pockets.

 

[Wumpus]

15:14 - 161 Riders Still In The Race
The retirement of Valverde means that there are now 161 riders still in the race.

15:13 - Valverde Calls It Quits
The winner of the stage to Courchevel has just abandoned the Tour de France. He has been ill for the past couple of days. He stepped into the Illes Balears team car in the feedzone.

15:11 - Valverde Has Been Sick...
Valverde has been at the back of the peloton for most of the stage. The leader of the Best Young Rider classification is about to abandon his first Tour de France.

 

[DRB]

There is a two week period in 1995 that I don't remember anything that happened after the sun went down. The best was the morning I woke up fully clothed with two Reuben sandwiches in my pockets.

We were in Crested Butte for the festival in June. We went out drinking and I woke up the with a roast beef sandwich in one hand and an empty beer in the other.

101 km Spaniard Alejandro Valverde -- wearing the white jersey of the race's best young rider (25-and-under) -- hurting near the back of the pack... The Illes Balears rider is suffering from tendonitis in a knee after a bang on his handlebars and could be a race-quitting risk today... He has abandoned the race. That's the white jersey wearer (which will go to Popo now) and the 5th place GC gone.

 

[DRB]

15:15 - Davitamon-Lotto Lead The Bunch
The maximum gain of the five escapees was 8’50" at the 39km mark. Cruz, Turpin, Voeckler, Flecha and Horner are now 5’40" ahead of the peloton that’s being led by riders from the Davitamon-Lotto team. Must be in the hunt for a victory for McEwen.

 

[Echo]

There is a two week period in 1995 that I don't remember anything that happened after the sun went down. The best was the morning I woke up fully clothed with two Reuben sandwiches in my pockets.

Heh, one time I woke up with a broken rocks glass in my pocket. Apparantly I had been "asked" to leave the bar due to my level of intoxication, and took my drink with me

 

[TreeSaw]

Heh, one time I woke up with a broken rocks glass in my pocket. Apparantly I had been "asked" to leave the bar due to my level of intoxication, and took my drink with me

BWAAHHH!!!! I'm not sure which was funnier the Westy Ruebens or your rocks glass!

 

[binary visions]

We were in Crested Butte for the festival in June. We went out drinking and I woke up the with a roast beef sandwich in one hand and an empty beer in the other.

Went camping with some friends a few years ago and woke up with an empty bottle of Jaeger and a lot of empty beer cans. When I pointed out to a couple friends that we had polished off the bottle, I was informed that everyone had passed out in the tent when it was half full.

Come to find out, everyone had indeed passed out when I was still awake with a half bottle of Jaeger, and I apparently wandered a pretty good distance to a neighboring campsite where a few girls were partying, and shared it with them before stumbling back to my site to pass out. All of this I found out when the girls stopped by the next morning to thank me. I have a vague recollection of wandering out of my campsite with the bottle, but that's it.

This stage is kind of a snooze fest - too bad about Valverde, though.

 

[Westy]

BWAAHHH!!!! I'm not sure which was funnier the Westy Ruebens or your rocks glass!

We should start a separate thread about morning after stories. I've got a bunch of them.

 

[DRB]

15:59 CEST
Lance Armstrong, for the record, is riding comfortably on Benjamin Noval's wheel, with a bunch of Discovery vests clustered behind the Lampre and Davitamon riders who are doing the lion's share of the work. The other sprinters' teams seem to be keeping a low profile still, though.

The lead is down below three minutes now, and the break certainly seems to be doomed.

 

[Hawkeye]

I am reading "Lance Armstrong's War" right now and in the chapter on the tour of Georga they talk about Chris Horner I didn't know he had made the big time.


Hoa-Noa is the name of the chapter. Johan told Lance to follow Hoa-Noa and Lance's reply was

"Horner? you want me to watch Horner? He can watch me.....win the f#$king race"


A good read.

 

[The Toninator]

I am reading "Lance Armstrong's War" right now and in the chapter on the tour of Georga they talk about Chris Horner I didn't know he had made the big time.


Hoa-Noa is the name of the chapter. Johan told Lance to follow Hoa-Noa and Lance's reply was

"Horner? you want me to watch Horner? He can watch me.....win the f#$king race"


A good read.

i'm reading marco pantani's bio and saw that one i'm also interested in 23 days in july.

 

[DRB]

16:19 CEST 129.5km/44km to go
Horner is taking some big turns on the front of the break; he's probably now giogn to be faced with a tough few kilometres of hanging on after they get caught if he is not to drop out of his fairlty creditable GC position (and a long day on the attack is not ideal preparation for the Pyrenees either). The lead is under 2 minutes, but the bunch are perhaps easing up to avoid catching them too early now.

 

[The Toninator]

the commentators are calling on mckewen to win the stage. I think cooke needs to step up and take a win. i'm voting on him.

 

[Wumpus]

They aren't moving very fast:

16:31 - Average Speed For 3rd Hour
The average speed of the third hour is 43.5km/h(27 mph). The average for the first three hours is 46.5km/h(28.8 mph).

 

[DRB]

16:36 CEST 143.5km/30km to go
Voeckler is collecting bottles again. (Lots of other riders are doing so too, naturally). We're close to many holiday areas and there have basically been spectators scattered along the whole course; there are very few bits of road without at least a roadside picnic or two going on.

The finish today is a bit tricky, with the final kilometre a bit on the twisty side, so this could be one of the less well organised bunch sprints today.

On the straightest bits of road the break can now be seen by the bunch - game over, really.

 

[Wumpus]

30km to go and the gap is only 52".

There are a lot of Norwegian fans at the site of today’s finish. There is an enormous Norwegian flag hanging from a building 70 meters from the finish line with ’Grimstad’ written on it in white letters. This is the home town of the rider who currently leads the points classification, Thor Hushovd.

 

[N8 v2.0]

30km to go and the gap is only 52".

There are a lot of Norwegian fans at the site of today’s finish. There is an enormous Norwegian flag hanging from a building 70 meters from the finish line with ’Grimstad’ written on it in white letters. This is the home town of the rider who currently leads the points classification, Thor Hushovd.

.... and these cats...

 

[DRB]

16:40 - An Australian Was Second In Montpellier In 1994
The Davitamon-Lotto team is currently driving the peloton in the hope of delivering their sprinter, the Australian champion Robbie McEwen to the line in first place. The last time a stage of the Tour concluded in Montpellier was in 1994. The winner was Rolf Sorensen, and Neil Stephens was second.

Rolf Sorensen might not be Norwegian but it sounds like it so..... maybe its a preview of things to come.

 

[DRB]

.... these cats...

Thor was seen with his prototype video IPOD this morning.......

 

[The Toninator]

anybody wana take a guess on the winner?

 

[N8 v2.0]

Thor was seen with his prototype video IPOD this morning.......

Viking Kittens pwn ALL!

 

[Wumpus]

16:49 - Last 17.5km On The Streets Of Montpellier
The last 17.5km of today’s stage are in Montpellier. There are a lot of twists and turns in the last section of the stage and, with 2.5km to go, the road narrows from a wide two-lane road to one lane.

 

[DRB]

16:55 CEST 157.5km/16km to go
Quick.Step clearly have a cunning plan here as they send another rider away; the rhythm of the Lotto chase has now broken up but that attack is quickly swamped; Armstrong is very prominently staying up near the front as well.

David Loosli (Lampre) has a go; no luck there either.

 

[DRB]

16:55 - Discovery Channel Lead The Peloton
With the race now on the streets of Montpellier (the leaders are 15km from the finish), the Discovery Channel team has come to the front of the peloton which is now just 14" behind Da Cruz’s group.

This is strange.......

 

[N8 v2.0]

16:55 - Discovery Channel Lead The Peloton
With the race now on the streets of Montpellier (the leaders are 15km from the finish), the Discovery Channel team has come to the front of the peloton which is now just 14" behind Da Cruz’s group.

This is strange.......

Are they going for a squeeze play???

 

[DRB]

Are they going for a squeeze play???

16:58 - Chavanel Continues With His Attack
There are six riders in front of the peloton with 12km to go. Chavanel has caught and passed the five escapees...

16:56 - Chavanel Attacks The Peloton
Sylvain Chavanel has attacked the peloton with 14km to go. He is just 9" behind the five escapees.

I guess its more a matter of staying out of trouble especially if the finish is tricky. I guess the sprinters' teams are too wacked to keep things under controlled.

 

[Westy]

Here's a question, Thomas. How often do directors try to get cooperation from other teams.. as in radioing back and forth, making deals? If so, is such wheeling and dealing legal?

Bjarne Riis needs to radio T-Mobile and say w'ell attack on odd days you attack on even ones.

I just want to see some damned racing here not a televised group ride.

 

[DRB]

17:00 - Chavanel Leads The Stage
Chavanel is leading the stage he has been chased down by Horner with 10km to go.

17:00 - Voeckler Tries His Luck
Thomas Voeckler is the latest rider to attack the lead group. He has been reeled in but now Chavanel is going again... the Cofidis rider has a lead of about 20m and Flecha is leading the pursuit with 10km to go.

 

[Heidi]

I wanted badly for local boy Horner to gain back a chunk of time. He's having a GREAT Tour!!!!!

 

[DRB]

17:02 - Peloton At 18"
With 9.5km to go, Horner and Chavanel lead the four other escapees by 8" and the peloton by 18".

Horner has a great sprint if he can keep away.......

 

[DRB]

BUT Lance ain't much of a Horner fan.......

 

[N8 v2.0]

Keep the play-by-play going...!!!

 

[DRB]

17:05 - Grivko & Commesso Attack Peloton
Two riders have attacked the peloton with 9km to go. Commesso (LAM) and Grivko (DOM) have caught up with Turpin, Da Cruz, Voeckler and Flecha.

 

[DRB]

17:05 - Two Lead By 22"
Horner and Chavanel are now 22" ahead of the six counter-attackers and 25" ahead of the peloton.

This has a great chance of sticking.....

 

[Heidi]

I still don't get why we have threads with all these minute by minute updates when people could just log onto one of the broadcast sites???????????????

 

[DRB]

17:06 - Two Stage Leaders...
Horner and Chavanel are 22" ahead of the peloton which has caught up with Da Cruz et al just 6.5km from the finish of the stage.

 

[DRB]

I still don't get why we have threads with all these minute by minute updates when people could just log onto one of the broadcast sites???????????????

Who knows? I wonder the samething as I put these things up.....